BY VALERIE GONZALEZ AND MARK REAGAN | STAFF WRITERS
A man suspected of stealing steel designated for border wall construction was formally indicted June 14 in McAllen.
Juan Nestor Rojas was arrested Tuesday at the Progreso port of entry.
“Juan Nestor Rojas did willfully and knowingly steal and purloin border wall panels of a value exceeding $1,000 of the goods and property of the United States,” the indictment read.
Back in December, almost $1 million worth of border fencing was stolen in Pharr from Strong Structural Steel, and multiple people were believed to have participated.
At the time, Jerry Ring, vice president of the business, told Pharr police he noticed 110 metal border wall panels were missing from the site and that they had been there two days earlier.
Each panel measured 32 feet by 8 feet and were valued at $9,085 each. The approximate loss was $999,350, according to Ring’s estimate shared with police.
Though Rojas was the only person named in the June indictment, other people may be named pending their arrest.
According to the police report, it would have taken the involvement of several people, including an employee because the security lock was found untampered and no forced entry was noted at the scene.
Police obtained a copy of a surveillance video from the business next door that showed activity at the site. A little before 5:30 a.m., five heavy-duty trucks were seen, four of them hauling a large heavy-duty flatbed.
Ring also told police he believed it was an inside job since their own forklift, which left behind tire tracks, appeared to have been used, and only one employee had the key to operate it.
The indictment stated the theft happened through a long period of time from Aug. 1 to Dec. 15, 2021.
According to Pharr Police Chief Andy Harvey, the property was recovered in December. After that, federal law enforcement took over the investigation.
Rojas appeared virtually for his initial hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker on Wednesday. Court notes indicate he requested to have a court-appointed attorney. He was sent back to federal custody until his detention hearing next week.
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